The Brother Gardeners: Botany, Empire and the Birth of an Obsession
When I began visiting English gardens over forty years ago, I was surprised that most of the trees I saw were American. I had not…
Topics: Gardens & Design
Guerrillas in the Fog
"Guerrilla gardening” often involves a political action or public statement regarding land rights, land reform, or environmentalism. A recent guerr…
The Gossler Guide to the Best Hardy Shrubs
One of the most highly regarded nurseries on the West Coast, the forty-year-old Gossler Farms Nursery is a hobby-turned-horticultural wonderland carved out of the farm…
Great Plant Picks: Focus on Foliage
From stately trees to dramatic bulbs, selections from the Great Plant Picks (GPP) that are notable for their superior foliage comprise a rich array of…
The NEW Low-Maintenance Garden
“I just don’t have the time”—perhaps the most common excuse for cutting back on reading, writing, painting, cooking, exercising, museum-going, and, yes, gardening. At least,…
Through the Photographer’s Eye: Finding a Sustainable Aesthetic
How do I use my abilities to illustrate a sustainable aesthetic when few of us can agree what that ought to be, much less what it looks like? The trut…
The Southern California Native Flower Garden
Landscape architect Susan Van Atta has established a reputation for creating beautiful, sustainable, and award-winning landscapes through her office in Santa Barbara. She has been…
Orchard Trees of Rancho Los Cerritos: Lemon, Lime & Mandarin
In 1931, Llewellyn and Avis Bixby commissioned Ralph D Cornell to design an estate garden at the family’s Rancho Los Cerritos in Long Beach, Califor…
Black Plants
Paul Bonine’s first book, Black Plants: 75 striking choices for the garden, does not claim to be encyclopedic, but it is a fun read. More…